Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Science

Shania Twain performs during the Zurich Film Festival in September 2021. 

What Do Pop Stars Have That One-Hit Wonders Don’t

A new study finds that artists who had creative portfolios before an initial hit were more likely to continue creating hits

Marine biologists suspect that the dragonfish can use its tiny fins to detect vibrations and alert them of nearby predators and prey.

Rarely Seen Torpedo-Shaped Dragonfish Spotted Off California’s Coast

The copper-colored fish has only been seen four times in more than three decades of deep-sea research

Pioneer, the newest station concept, can accommodate 28 people and is scheduled to open in 2025.

Space Hotel Slated to Welcome Earthlings in 2025

The facility aims to provide a ‘dream-like’ luxury resort

Worker at a plastic recycling plant in Japan.

At Least 85 Percent of U.S. Plastic Waste Went to Landfills in 2021

Only five percent of the material was in the correct condition to be recycled

Each sample in the redesigned facility is handled with gloves in a sealed, nitrogen-free box and stored inside a walk-in freezer kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Fifty Years Later, Researchers Unbox Samples From Apollo 17

The lunar surface material was kept in a freezer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center since December 1972

David Bennett with his son and Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin from the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Porcine Virus May Have Led to the Death of First-Ever Pig Heart Transplant Patient

Doctors say this infection will likely be preventable in future pig heart transplants

Genetically, each species were different, but the team also found differences in the skull shapes, the levels of bone formation in the skeleton, and the number of warts on the hands and feet. (Pictured: C. cueyatl)

Good News

Six New Miniature Frog Species Discovered in Mexico

The amphibians are found under leaf litter and hatch fully grown

The vehicle, ECHO, was designed by the Marine Animal Remote Sensing Lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. ECHO is part of a large-scale research project that monitors the impact of human-induced climate change on the Southern Ocean.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

This Tiny Yellow Robot Spies on Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins

The vehicle dubbed ECHO slowly rolls up to the birds without stressing them and may allow researchers to monitor their ecosystem more closely

Lake Mead photographed from the Hoover Dam in Nevada

Officials Will Release Less Water Into Lake Mead Because of Drought

Water levels in both Lake Mead and Lake Powell have dropped to historic lows as the West experiences the most severe megadrought in 1,200 years

A Tuatara in New Zealand

One in Five Reptiles Worldwide Are Threatened With Extinction

Researchers assessed over 10,000 species in a comprehensive new study

The zoo's flamingos live in a 9,750-square-foot outdoor yard with a heated pool and barn.

Wild Fox Kills 25 Flamingos and a Duck at the National Zoo

The incident is the first time a predator has broken into the exhibit in its 50 year history

Morels are wild fungi that stand three to six inches tall and have a cone-shaped wrinkled lattice cap. The shades of the cap can range from cream to chocolate brown and are treasured in the culinary world for their earthy and nutty taste.

Danish Biologists Cultivate Morel Mushrooms Year-Round With New Indoor Technique

The black morel mushrooms are grown in a climate-controlled environment that produces 20 pounds per square yard per year

This device can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 30 feet per second. 

Robot Jumps a Record-Breaking 100 Feet in the Air

The device can launch three times higher than the current record for a robotic leap

This year's global winner was a close-up image of a thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) flower with pollen tubes growing through the flower’s pistil. Scientists use the plant to study growth and development processes in plants and plant genetics.

Discover the Microscopic Wonders of Olympus’ 2021 Image of the Year Awards

Just in time for spring, several winners capture a close-up view of fern spores to pollen tubes hidden in a flower petal

Researchers surveyed the owners of 18,385 dogs and sequenced the DNA of 2,155 dogs for a new study analyzing dog behavior and breed.   

Dog Breed Doesn’t Affect Behavior, According to New Genetic Research

Personality is shaped by a combination of factors, including a pup’s environment

General Motors has previously announced plans to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2035 with a plan to release 30 new electric cars globally by 2025.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Chevrolet’s Classic Corvette Is Going Electric

A new hybrid model of the iconic American sports car, rumored to reach up to 1,000 horsepower, will hit the market as early as 2023

Light bulbs sold in the U.S. must have a minimum efficiency of 45 lumens per watt by July 2023.

Good News

The United States Will Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulbs

Officials estimate this will cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over 30 years and will save Americans $3 million per year on utility bills

A waning crescent moon, pictured here, occurs right before a new moon. The second new moon in a single calendar month is often called a black moon.

View a Rare Black Moon This Weekend

The phenomenon will also be marked by a partial solar eclipse

A person receives a Covid-19 nasopharyngeal swab at a testing site in Los Angeles International Airport on December 21, 2021. 

More Than Half of Americans Have Been Infected With Covid-19

The percentage of the population with Covid-19 antibodies resulting from infection rose significantly in recent months

an aurora borealis over Lake Inari in Finland

Evidence of Earliest Aurora Found in Ancient Chinese Texts

Such historical records of celestial events can help astronomers track and model patterns of space weather

Page 175 of 545